by Rachel P. on I loved it! I spent hours staring at beluga whales, sea otters, and whale sharks. The penguin crawl tube was really cool too (just don't bother with it if they're feeding them at the time), you can come face to face with adorable penguins! This was without a doubt the best thing I did in Atlanta.
by Kione E. on Oh, fuck. This is good. My friends were dropping me off at the airport. I was stressing because I would only have about 45 minutes to check in. They were assuring me that I had a lot of time, but I was still stressin'. Bay Area airports right? My friends tell me they are jealous of me because I have time to get a Salt Lick Brisket Sandwich. I ask if there was one at Houston, because I have an hour layover. No. Oh well, I say to myself. Maybe next time. As if they read my mind, "Dude! You gotta have a sandwich from Salt Lick." "Ok, I'll see if I can." It took me less that 8 minutes to check in and get through security. Holy shit! I have enough time for a Salt Lick Brisket Sandwich. This better be good. 10$ for the Salt Lick Brisket Sandwich Combo. This included potato salad and a drink. Oh, fuck. This is good. Soft, luscious, tender bbq beef. Soft and warm bread. Tangy salty sweet bbq sauce. Mmmmm. I crave. Damn. You can only get this in Austin Texas.
by Nila Soni on If Raphael painted meals, they would look like Tangerine. This trendy fusion restaurant uses lighting to both enthrall and guide its diners to a state of bliss. Another outpost of Stephen Starr's, its facade is more refined than his other restaurants. Tangerine's appeal lies primarily with its food and secondly with its mystique. This place is DARK. The lounge's foreign theme employs drapes, candles and low seats in concert to achieve an effect uncommon in many restaurants. Their full menu is served in the lounge area if you can't obtain a reservation in time for that hot date. Service was practically top-notch. A bus person tried to take a plate with a substantial amount of food on it without asking - the only glaring negative for the evening. The manager and our waiter came by several times to ask how everything was going. We ordered a sweet tangerine cocktail ($8) with tangerine puree, vanilla vodka, and club soda in it. For appetizers, we started with the crunchy calamari ($9.50), sprinkled with red pepper aioli and topped with a kalamata olive salad. The calamari was lightly breaded and tasty. I found it to be enjoyable; others swear by it. The sauce adds visual flair to the presentation and is quite tangy and flavorful. Arriving nearly simultaneously were the chickpea crepes ($10) filled with chicken and chanterelle mushrooms. They were delectable and well-made. For entrees, the pan-seared red snapper ($24) was flanked with spinach ravioli and lightly soaked in a toasted red pepper sauce. This was the most robust (considering serving-size) of the entrees. The next entree was the shrimp and scallops Afrique ($26.50) which consisted of day boat scallops and jumbo shrimp in a pleasantly zesty almond curry with carrot fufu and a side of steamed rice. The scallops were amazingly huge. Both the shrimp and scallops were tender. Easily the weakest of the entrees, the pan-roasted chicken breast ($22) was served with a mascarpone gateau filled with baby spinach and mushrooms. The stingy portion is barely enough to feed a small underweight child. The gateau was appetizing though. Dessert was an unusual treat. A toasty-warm apple-cinnamon baklava ($9) ended the meal nicely. It contained walnut cream, buttermilk ice cream, and was served with a dab of sour cherry sauce. Tangerine is wicked expensive. You're paying for quality, not quantity. You will be hungry afterwards too. (Luckily, Chinatown is not far away.) The check came when needed. Go if you're seeking a romantic dinner or interested in sampling new cuisines. Reservations essential! Tangerine may not be the epitome of fine dining, but it comes close. UPDATE, 5/9/2008: Friendly server Josh helped our party. I asked to have the bar make me a "creative shot" but I received a smaller version of one of their drinks instead. That soured me a little, but Tangerine's surprising departure from small portion sizes let me transport myself to heaven many times during the meal: try the shrimp and scallops! I still heartily recommend Tangerine.
